Israel’s government announced it has permitted a member of Hamas to enter territory within Gaza that is currently under the control of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The purpose of this unprecedented access is to aid Red Cross and Egyptian personnel in their efforts to locate the bodies of 13 hostages who remain unaccounted for.
Shosh Bedrosian, a government spokesperson, stated at a briefing that “The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the IDF’s Yellow Line position in Gaza under close IDF supervision.” Additionally, she mentioned that Egypt plans to provide more equipment, including specialized “tractor-type vehicles,” to assist in the search operations.
The decision follows accusations from Israel that Hamas has breached the terms of a two-week-old ceasefire, specifically by failing to return the bodies of 28 hostages as stipulated. Hamas, however, maintains its commitment to the deal, which was brokered with the involvement of the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. The group claims it requires assistance to find remains buried beneath the rubble resulting from years of conflict.
Earlier, the forum representing the families of Israeli hostages had urgently called for decisive action to ensure Hamas fulfilled its obligations regarding the return of all hostage bodies. They specifically requested that the second phase of a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump be delayed until Hamas complied with its commitments.
Reports in Israeli media suggested that the Trump administration was considering moving forward with the second phase of the agreement, even if all hostages were not recovered. Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, stated that the group was encountering “challenges” due to the alteration of Gaza’s terrain by Israeli forces and that some individuals involved in burying bodies had either been killed or could no longer recall their locations.